AOL uses anti-phishing law to sue identity thieves

The new anti-phishing law in Virginia has been used for the first time by an internet service provider today, as AOL filed three civil suites against identity theft gangs.

America Online said on Tuesday it had filed lawsuits this week against three identity theft gangs, seeking combined damages of $18 million and using a new law against so-called "phishers."

The online division of Time Warner Inc. said it had filed three civil suits in Alexandria's U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, charging phishing gangs with tricking its members with fake Web sites of legitimate companies to fool them into giving up personal information.

The suits were filed under Virginia's new anti-phishing statute, the Federal Lanham Act, a trademark law, and the Federal Computer Fraud & Abuse Act, an anti-spam, or junk mail law.